Combined land-anchor and lightning-conductor for buildings



(No Model.)

Cr. STITES. COMBINED LAND ANCHOR AND LIGHTNING CONDUCTOR FOR BUILDINGS.

No. 351,813. Patented Nov. 2, 1886.

WITNESSES W; J; Q IJVV'EJVTUR N 1 iii/tax J A;

' Attorney UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE STITES, OF PLEASANT VALLEY, KANSAS.

COMBINED LANDANCHOR AND LIGHTNING-CONDUCTOR FOR BUILDINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,813, dated November 2, 1886.

Application filed April 8, 1886. Serial No. 198,282. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE STITES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pleasant Valley, in the county of Lincoln. and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Oombined Land-Anchors and LightningConductors for Buildings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus or devices for securing houses upon their foundation, so as to prevent their being displaced by cyclones, tornadoes, &c., and at the same time protect them from lightning; and my said invention consists of what I term an expansible land-anchor, which is driven into and securely keyed within the ground at the sides of the building, and connected by a wire cable, which may pass entirely over the building or be secured at the sides thereof.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive means for securing houses upon their foundations in exposed, open localitiessuch as upon plains and prairies, where disastrous wind-storms are prevalent; and to this end I proceed as follows.

Reference must now be had to the accompanying drawings for a better understanding of the details of construction of my invention, in which Figure l is a View in perspective ofa building secured by my combined landanchor and lightning-conductor. Fig. 2 is a view in elevation of the anchor, illustrating the same as in position at the bottom of a hole in the ground and previous to the body being expanded. Fig. 3 is a central sectional elevation of the same; and Figs. 4. and 5 represent aside and central sectional elevation, respectively, of the anchor when in position at the bottom. of the hole in the ground and expanded or keyed therein.

This land-anchor is composed of a base, A, made conical, and to which the cable 0 is secured, and a cylindrical body composed of two half-sections, B and B, having tapering or cone-shaped opening D at their lower inner ends corresponding to the taper of the base A. These two sections of the body are united together by a link, E, entering a slot, e, near the top ends of each of the sections, which is held in place by pins (Z, inserted through the top ends of the section; or the sections may be secured by a hinge upon the top end thereof. This completes the construction of the anchor. N ow, to use the same, a hole slightly larger than the diameter of the base A is first bored into the ground by post-hole auger to any desired or necessary depth, adjacent the side of the, building to be held by said anchor. The anchor having one end of the wire cable attached to the base thereof, and with the body resting upon the top end of said base, is now dropped down into'said hole until the cone rests upon the bottom thereof, as shown in Fig. 2. Pressure is now applied upon the top end of the body, so as to force the same down, which body, in its descent, because of the cone-shaped base over which it slides, 'is caused to expand at the bottom and embed itself into the firm earth adjacent the sides of the hole, as seen in Figs. 1, 4, and 5, and thereby securely lock or key the anchor in place. The hole is now filled, preferably, with liquid clay, and rammed solid, when it will be found that the anchor is immovably fixed in position. Two or more such anchors are placed upon. each side of the house and connected by a wire cable, which may pass'over the house and be connected with an upwardly-projecting point to form a lightning-conductor, or be attached to any part of the structure, as desired; but in either event the building will be held securely in place.

Preferably the anchor is made of metal; but

it may be of some stone-forming compound or' other suitable material, or even wood may be used to advantage, and suitable provision is made ateach end of the cable, near the ground, to tighten the same,

As will be observed, because of the sections of the body being secured at their top ends, the bottom portion only thereof is adapted to be expanded by. the movable cone, so that when said sections are expanded the body of the anchor will assume a conical or tapered Theland-anchorherein described,co1nposed form, the diameter of whose base alone inof the cone-shaped base with attached cable creases in proportion with the upward moveand sectional body linked or hinged together ment of the movable cone, whereby the anchor at their top ends, fitting upon and adapted to I 5 5 is securely keyed into the ground, with its be expanded at their bottom ends onlyby said parts all united together. cone, for the purposes specified. Ido not claim, broadly, a laud-anchor comt posed of a tapering cone and sections arranged GEORGE STITEb' to be expanded by said cone; but In presence of- IO Vhat I do claim as new and of my inven- A. MARSHALL,

tion is as follows: H. O. SIMPSON. 

